Medical balloons are used in the body in a variety of applications including as dilatation devices for compressing plaque and for expanding prosthetic devices such as stents at a desired location in a bodily vessel. Because it is typically necessary for the balloon to traverse a tortuous anatomy as it is being delivered to the desired location in the bodily vessel, it is desirable for the balloon to assume as low a profile as possible.
The folding of medical balloons in order to reduce the cross sectional area or profile of the balloon is a common industry practice. Balloons may also be folded in order to enhance re-fold characteristics of the balloon during deflation.
In some applications balloons are known to be equipped with blades, injectors, protrusions, atherotomes and/or other surface features.
Devices used for imparting the desired folded configuration vary. Some devices fold the balloon by imparting an inward radial force about the periphery of the balloon using a plurality of rigid blades and/or jaws which are distributed about the periphery of the balloon.
In some cases it is necessary to crease the balloon prior to folding. In such cases the balloon is first creased by a tool having a pair of jaws in a “pliers” style configuration, which may be compressed about the balloon to place creases in the balloon in preparation for the subsequent formation of the folds. The balloon may then be placed in a crimping or folding device, which typically employs a plurality of blades that move radially inward against the balloon, during which the balloon may be partially inflated, to impart the balloon with a plurality of wings that may be folded about the longitudinal axis of the balloon. Methods and devices described above are often limited to specific types and sizes of balloons as different size balloons will typically require different numbers and sizes of folds to accommodate the differing amount of balloon material.
In light of the above there remains a need to provide additional alternatives to crease and fold a balloon.
All US patents and applications and all other published documents mentioned anywhere in this application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Without limiting the scope of the invention a brief summary of some of the claimed embodiments of the invention is set forth below. Additional details of the summarized embodiments of the invention and/or additional embodiments of the invention may be found in the Detailed Description of the Invention below.
A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification is provided as well only for the purposes of complying with 37 C.F.R. 1.72. The abstract is not intended to be used for interpreting the scope of the claims.